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Sosua has
always been...
The beach
playground of the local Dominican
middle class from Puerto Plata, Santigao and beyond.
Modern
history of Sosua....
The sosua area and
its history includes the United
Fruit Company (Bananas) and beach playground of the local Dominican
middle class from Puerto Plata, Santigao and beyong. However, the
modern history of Sosua begins in 1938 when the Dominican government
accorded visas to Jewish refugees fleeing Nazi persecution. In 1939,
the newly founded Dominican Republic Settlement Association (DORSA)
acquired the land held by the United Fruit Company in the north of the
country and in 1940 the first refugees arrived and settled on that
land, followed by many others in the next few years. After 1945 many
left the island for the United States, Mexico or Europe but some
remained and prospered. Modern day Sosua is a quaint little town
steeped in history and a mixture of different cultures whose roots are
still evident in the Jewish community which includes members of the
original refugee families, a synagogue and museum.
Sosua is the
Acapulco of the Dominican Republic.
You could say that this is where tourism first began back in the 70s
and 80s. Despite development, Sosua still keeps its charm with the
highest density of shops and restaurants in the Batey section of the
destination. Foreigners who originally came for a beach holiday have
now established their own ex-patriot communities and businesses. There
are large numbers of Germans, Austrians, Canadians, Russians and
Americans who live here year round.
The one
kilometer long Sosua Beach continues to be
the main attraction of the area. In spite of the large number of
vendors who have set up shop right on the beach, it's still one of the
most spectacular in the Dominican Republic. Sosua was originally
settled by around 600 Jewish refugees fleeing the Second World War who
set up a dairy community. As a result, Sosua began to thrive and was
soon discovered by the wealthy from nearby Puerto Plata, Santiago and
San Francisco de Macoris who came and set up vacation homes. Most of
the original Jewish settlers have moved on, but the dairy that produces
the Productos Sosua continues to this day. The Sosua Synagogue has a
museum with photos and memorabilia of the first Jewish settlers. You
can also attend services there. Tourism took off in the 70s and 80s,
with the sleepy beach town catering to thousands of day trippers from
Playa Dorada resort and to overnighters staying in the many small
hotels such as Perla de Sosua that sprang up in Sosua. The town built a
reputation for its night life. It is said that Sosua wakes up when
Puerto Plata and Playa Dorada go to bed.
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